Circus Fun

        Yesterday afternoon we went to the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circus in Mississippi. We had such a great time.

     Payton spent nearly the entire circus on Aunt Liz's lap stealing all her popcorn. My bad baby! Haha! But I was really amazed at how well the kids did. They were so into it, they sat still and quiet nearly the entire time. I really enjoyed it also, I laughed and clapped and cheered along with the kiddos.

     Two of the kid's favorites were the motorcycles and the dogs. Payton really loved the dogs. She kept saying "dogk, dogk!" in her cute little way.

        After the circus, we went to Chili's for dinner with the Joneses! It was a lt of fun. I love making memories like these with our kiddos. These are the times when I love being a parent the most!

What Salvation Means to Me

     I don't claim to be a great poet or anything, but I have used creative writing as an outlet for my emotions and as a way to organize the chaos in my mind for as long as I can remember. I wrote this tonight, and I wanted to share it in hopes that someone else could relate.



What Salvation Means to Me

I'm free to love others and not judge them.
I'm free to acknowledge and say goodbye to my sin.
I'm free to forgive and turn the other cheek.
I'm free to be who You want me to be.

I choose to follow Your Spirit and Your Word.
I choose to be used for You to be heard.
I choose to have not my, but Your will be done.
I choose to believe that You are God's only son.

I feel Your presence down deep in my heart.
I feel so unworthy. How great Thou art!
I feel brand new. The old me is dead.
I feel Your truth when lies fill my head.

I need Your light to guide me to Your arms.
I need Your Spirit to guard my soul from harm.
I need Your love when I feel all alone.
I need You. I can't do this on my own.

I no longer care what this world thinks is best.
I no longer care if my flesh shall meet death.
I no longer care who likes what I do.
I only care about being faithful to You.

I am not perfect, and my flesh will never be.
I still sin, but I've accepted Your mercy.
I once was blind to the Truth, but now I see.
I am washed in Your blood. That's what salvation means to me.

18 Month Check-Up

    Payton Joy had her 18 Month check up today. She weighs 25 lbs 15 oz (75th percentile) and is 31,5 inches tall (50th percentile). Unfortunately her head grew an entire centimeter since her last check up, putting her well off the charts in head size once more. He wants to monitor her head size even more closely, so we cannot wait until her 24 Month physical to check it again, so we've gotta go back this summer and get it checked again. If it continues to grow at an above-average rate, she will be referred to a neurologist for an ultrasound to determine if there is water on her brain. Dr. Melton seems fairly certain that this isn't the case because her development is right on track. She is walking and attempting to run. She can feed herself and pick up small items with her thumb and index finger. She is very social, she makes great eye contact, points, waves, and give high fives. She is extremely verbal. Her vocabulary expands every day. She often talks in complete sentences and can have conversations with others. She is doing so well, he doesn't seem to think there can be anything wrong with her brain, and more likely she just has a large head. My poor baby! haha.

     She is so full of personality! She is a little mess. She likes to be silly and make others laugh. She is very headstrong and is not going to let anyone push her around. She is also very strong. If you try to pick her up and she wants down, she is going to get herself out of your arms. She also eats like a pro. She is not picky like Rylee. There are very few foods that she doesn't like. Her favorite foods are peas, green beans, bananas, yogurt, mac and cheese, and applesauce.

      Payton wears size 2T clothes, size 5 shoes, and size 5 diapers. She has 14 teeth and a beautiful smile. She sleeps from 7 pm-6 am and takes one 1-2 hour nap daily. She is constantly on the move. Her favorite place to be is outside. Her hair has grown so much since 15 months! Now she has a head full of curls, and I'm obsessed!

     She loves her sissy, but she doesn't want a lot of physical affection. She likes to have her own space, but she wants to be right beside sissy, just not touching. I gave her her first manicure last night and she was so excited. I love being her mommy and wouldn't trade my wild child for the world!

Easter 2015

     Friday we had no school in honor of Good Friday, so Bailey came and spent the day with us while Mary went to work. We had such a good day playing and laughing, but my favorite part was dyeing Easter eggs during Payton's nap time. The girls wanted to try to dip the eggs in every single color, but they still turned out pretty cute. It was a great day.

     Saturday was a fun-filled, busy day. We got up and got dressed and headed to Mary's Chapel for the annual Resurrection Celebration. I made the girls matching appliqued shirts to wear, and I'm proud of how cute they turned out, but not so happy with my choice of white shirts, they were filthy by the end of the day!

    The kids had a lot of fun learning about Jesus's death and resurrection, hunting Easter eggs, painting crosses and stones and dyeing Easter eggs at the church. They seem to understand more and more each year, and that really touches my heart to watch them draw nearer to Christ.

          After the Resurrection Celebration, we headed to Liz and Brandon's for our annual cousin Easter celebration. The kids had so much fun. We ate pizza. Then we hid over 100 eggs, and they hunted and ate candy until they had their fill. Then they spent the rest of the afternoon jumping on the trampoline. I don't know how they can't jump for hours without getting tired, but they sure had a blast.

    This morning the girls woke up to their Easter gifts. I made them coordinating t-shirts with love and joy embroidered on them for their middle names, Payton got mess free color wonder Minnie Mouse, and Rylee got a full art set that she's been asking for, and they each got a kite. We didn't go overboard on gifts, but they were both thrilled. After they went through their baskets, it was time to get ready for church. I made their Easter dresses this year, and I am so pleased at how they turned out. I wish I had more time for sewing, but I was definitely busy during my Spring Break getting their Easter outfits ready.

     I love Easter Sunday, and our service at church this morning just reinforced that love. I am so very grateful for the sacrifice God made to become like us and take on all of our sins and be crucified so that he could come out victorious over sin and death once and for all. After church, we headed over to Granny and Paw Paw's for Easter lunch and time with family.

    After we ate, the kids hunted eggs, and Rylee found the giant prize egg! It had $5, stickers, and a chocolate bunny inside: major score! It was so much fun to watch the girls play with Jenna and spend time with those we love.

     We have had a very blessed Easter, and I hope you have, too. During church this morning, Rylee had so many questions. She was asking me about God and how he gets into our hearts. She was asking me, "How can I get him to come live in my heart?" It made me so happy to hear her ask those questions, and she may be young, but I can see she is getting closer and closer to truly understanding the sacrifice that was made for us and being able to acknowledge Jesus Christ as her personal lord and savior. Nothing will make me happier than seeing my kids come to Christ. I pray often for my girls' salvation. There is nothing more important that having a personal relationship with Christ, so there is nothing that I pray for them more than that.